Visit NC Honors Highland Brewing, Leader for Pioneering Spirit

ASHEVILLE, NC (March 17, 2026) — At a luncheon today with Gov. Josh Stein and Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley, Visit North Carolina presented the Esse Quam Videri Award to Highland Brewing and Leah Wong Ashburn, its president and CEO, for the impactful contributions of this bulwark Asheville business. Award presentations are a highlight of the annual Visit NC Tourism Conference, which continues through Wednesday at the Omni Grove Park Inn. 

Also honored at the conference with entry into Visit NC’s longstanding Winners Circle:

• Whitney Knollenberg, associate professor and Extension leader with the NC State University Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management. 
• Gunther Jochl, president and owner of Sugar Mountain Resort. 
• Becky Anderson, founding director of HandMade in America and Blue Ridge National Heritage Area board member. 

"When people visit our state, they don't just see beautiful places," Lilley said. "They experience communities, small businesses and, most importantly, the people who make our state special. ... Today's awards are a chance to recognize the stories, the creativity, the leadership, the dedication that bring people back to this place over and over again." 

Esse quam videri

Ashburn became president of Highland Brewery in 2015. Founded in 1994 by her father, the late Oscar Wong, Highland was Asheville’s first post-Prohibition brewery and the foundation for its rise to “Beer City USA” acclaim. Today, Highland is the largest independent, family-owned brewery native to the Southeast, and its 40-acre campus serves as a hub for residents and travelers who come for concerts, disc golf, volleyball and events as well as beer.

Like her father, Ashburn applies the brewery’s “thirst for good” mission to the beer, community partnerships and sustainability. 

“Highland and its founding family embody ‘Esse Quam Videri,’ our state motto, which translates as ‘to be, rather than to seem,’ ” said Wit Tuttell, Visit NC’s executive director. “It’s action over words, authenticity over appearance. Leah learned this principle from her father, and it’s part of the core values that have served them in business and beyond.

“Consider the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Even as Highland was recovering from the storm, Leah transformed the brewery campus into something of a relief center, sharing space and resources with World Central Kitchen and Wine to Water, raising money for community assistance, and contributing in countless other ways. Her work led to a White House invitation from President Biden, Person of the Year honors from Brewbound, and a recent appointment to Gov. Stein’s Advisory Committee on Western NC Recovery.”

Ashburn, a member of the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Visitors, has served on the boards of the NC Brewers Guild, the Asheville Chamber, the Buncombe County Tourism Authority, Riverlink and AB Tech Community College. She has received the Asheville Chamber of Commerce’s Woman Executive of the Year honors and semi-finalist status in the James Beard Foundation’s Beer, Wine or Spirits Professional category. The recognition echoes that of her father, who was the US Small Business Administration’s 2012 Person of the Year for NC and a 2023 inductee into the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest award for state service granted by the Office of the Governor

The Esse Quam Videri award was established in 2019. Previous honorees include James and Amanda Keith of the NuWray Hotel in Burnsville, Halifax businesswoman Glenn Patterson Wilson, the High Point Market Authority, Old Fort’s trailblazing Catawba Vale Collective, and Kinston business leaders Stephen Hill of Mother Earth Brewing and Vivian Howard of Chef & the Farmer.

Winners Circle

The Winners Circle, which Visit NC created in 2004, recognizes communities, organizations, events and people for significant and continuing contributions to the growth and success of NC’s tourism industry. The newest members add their achievements to those of Hugh Morton of Grandfather Mountain, Deborah Holt Noel of PBS NC, John Harris of Kitty Hawk Kites, Dana Clark of Appalachian State University, and Sam Jones of Sam Jones BBQ and the Skylight Inn.

Whitney Knollenberg, who holds a doctorate in hospitality and tourism management from Virginia Tech, leverages research to address challenges in the NC tourism industry. In her decade at NCSU, she has focused on stakeholder engagement in destination communities, communicating tourism’s value, workforce development, and creating experiences that sustain natural and cultural resources while benefiting residents. She shares her findings through peer-reviewed manuscripts and presentations, collaborates with industry leaders and tourism partners to develop practical resources, and mentors students involved in sustainable tourism projects. Her professional recognition includes being named a 2025-26 University Faculty Scholar at NCSU, the 2025 Michael Dickey Outstanding Research Mentorship Award from the NCSU Office of Undergraduate Research, and the 2020 NCSU College of Natural Resources Outstanding Extension Award. She was also elected to the Travel and Tourism Research Association’s International Board of Directors in 2023.

Gunther Jochl, a native of Austria, begins his 49th 50th year at the helm of Sugar Mountain Resort. Jochl, who believes in a hands-on approach to managing, has been active in all aspects of the ski industry. His constant pursuit of perfection is a result of an intense love and passion for skiing and the outdoors, which serves as the foundation of the company’s culture. Jochl, an excellent skier, competes regularly in events at Sugar Mountain, which is home to the state’s only double black diamond slope, a sophisticated lift system and off-the-slopes activities throughout the year. An experienced pilot whose overseas flights include one with wife Kim as co-pilot, Jochl is currently the mayor of the village of Sugar Mountain and an International Skiing History Association board member. In 2019, he was inducted into the Order of the Long Leaf Pine.

Becky Anderson, an economic development pioneer, is best known for founding HandMade in America. Established in 2008, HandMade channeled creative culture into economic opportunity in 25 Western NC counties and the Qualla Boundary. It served as a foundation for creative placemaking and a basis of success for hundreds of entrepreneurs. HandMade closed in 2015 due to a lack of funding, but its legacy continues through such programs as the Blue Ridge Craft Trails. Anderson, who was included in US News and World Report’s 2000 list of US visionaries, has filled roles at the Asheville Chamber of Commerce, the Land of Sky Regional Council and the City of Asheville. She serves on the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area’s board of directors and the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation’s council of advisors. A Haywood County native, Anderson is an Order of the Long Leaf Pine inductee as was her brother, the late NC Poet Laureate Fred Chappell.

"North Carolina is full of stars, and doing one of the best jobs I can imagine, which is to promote North Carolina and to demonstrate our state's famous hospitality to the world," Gov. Stein said before the awards presentation.  Visitors are "learning that North Carolina is an unforgettable place worth discovering and rediscovering again and again."

With more than 500 tourism leaders from across the state in attendance, the Visit NC Tourism Conference continues through Wednesday.

Note: Find photos of the award recipients here.

About Visit North Carolina

Visit North Carolina, the state's official destination marketing organization, is part of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, a private nonprofit corporation that serves as North Carolina’s economic development organization. The EDPNC focuses on business and job recruitment, existing industry support, international trade, tourism and film marketing.

The mission of Visit NC is to unify and lead the state in positioning North Carolina as a preferred destination for leisure travel, group tours, meetings and conventions, sports events and film production to maximize economic vitality statewide. Each year, North Carolina welcomes about 40 million visitors who spend nearly $37 billion during their visit. The tourism industry employs more than 230,000 people and generates nearly $2.7 billion in state and local tax revenues. For more information, travel ideas and inspiration, go to VisitNC.com.

Contact

Veda Gilbert ǀ Suzanne Brown ǀ Emily Prickett
media@VisitNC.com